Mobile machines work in a variety of different types of worksites. For instance, agricultural machines work in a field. Construction machines work at a construction site. Turf management machines operate in turf growing sites. In all of these sites, the mobile machines can be machines that are propelled with wheels or tracks or other ground-engaging elements. Therefore, the machines can cause soil compaction in the areas over which they drive.
The soil compaction can impact various items at the worksite. For instance, at a construction worksite, soil compaction can affect the ability of equipment to penetrate the soil, and it can also affect the traction of mobile machines over the worksite. In a turf growing site, or in an agricultural field, soil compaction can also affect the performance of the turf or crop. If soil becomes highly compacted around the turf or crop, this can mean that less water and less nutrients reach the roots of the plant, because the soil is more difficult to penetrate. This can affect the growth of the turf and the yield of the crop.
This problem can be exacerbated in crops that are perennial crops or that can go without replanting for several years. Such crops can include such things as sugar cane, alfalfa, etc. In these types of scenarios, the soil compaction can accumulate over years and exacerbate the problems caused by soil compaction.
By way of example, sugarcane is a “perennial” crop or a crop that only needs to be replanted after several years. Some sugarcane operations are quite large, and may include as many as 50-150 harvesting machines organized in fronts. Each front may have 5-10 harvesters with 10-20 tractors (and corresponding carts). Each front may also have one or more semi-trucks for transporting the sugarcane from the field to processing facility. All of these different mobile machines may travel across some or all of the sugarcane field during harvesting operations. The soil compaction imparted by these machines, traveling over the field, can be detrimental to the performance of the sugarcane crop.
In order to measure soil compaction, some current systems include bulk density or soil cone penetrometer measurements. Some current systems also use Bolling pressure probes, or other similar devices. These methods of measurement are relatively time consuming and depend on user experience and skill. In addition, they are only locally applicable. The measurements are only taken in parts of any given field, and therefore the results are incomplete. They do not offer a complete assessment of the compaction state of the field. Also, because the measurements can be interpreted in different ways, there is a relatively high uncertainty corresponding to these types of measurements. Furthermore, they can be invasive and can potentially damage the crop.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.